The Grey and the Gold
by Simplicity Is Bliss
Summary: Series of oneshots depicting the life and romance of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. Humor, unholy amounts of fluff, and such contained within.
1. Fusspot

Fusspot

* * *

"Rain's coming," Remus said, sniffing the air. A gust of wind billowed over the pair of men, sending napkins skittering across the undulating grass that was lit by liquid gold sunshine. Heavy, charcoal gray clouds rolled over the horizon, anvil-headed and angry.

"Mm, yes," said Sirius, staring at Remus as the heavy sun drenched them both, casting Remus' continence in gilt, his brown hair glittering with honey colored streaks, and his tan skin like toffee.

"Want to head back?"

"Not really."

"Mm, my thought, too." Remus lay back on the red and white blanket, resting his head on his intertwined fingers. "Suppose we ought to at least water-proof Lily's basket, though."

"True," he pulled out his wand, accio'd the straying napkins and after tucking them away, he cast a water repelling charm on the aging wicker basket. "What about us?"

"What _about_ us? I, for one, enjoy a good summer thunder storm."

"Well yes, Moony, but not all of us have your super human immune system. I'll get sick."

"Nonsense, Padfoot. This isn't a spring gale, much less a winter storm. You shan't get sick from enjoying the rain, you fusspot."

"_Fusspot?_"

"Yes, Padfoot. You are an unmitigated fusspot."

"Sez the worrywart."

"Yes, says the worrywart. I worry about you and James killing yourselves or innocent bystanders by accident. _You_ worry about getting wet."

While they bickered affectionately (because, rest assured, it is _indeed_ possible to lovingly bicker), nature had her way. The anvil-headed clouds rapidly rolled over the valley, the wind growing stronger. The sunlight became even heavier dimming, clouding over, shining like fine honey. Thunder echoed in the distance, growling low and loud.

"Really, Moony, I'll get sick," Sirius whined, "And you know what I'm like when I'm sick."

Remus grimaced, "I know very well how insufferable you get when you're ill, but I promise you you won't catch anything."

"If I do," Sirius' voice becoming velvety and seductive, "Will you play nurse with me?"

The werewolf sighed, "Yes. I promise I will be your little nurse if you do indeed get sick. I'll even wear a nurse's outfit for you if you like."

"Oooh," Sirius looked excited, "Even the little hat?"

"Yes, even the little hat."

"Kinky."

Remus rolled his eyes, but continued fondly, "You are an odd creature, Sirius. But I love you anyway."

"For it."

"That, too," came the smiling reply.

* * *

A/N: Written as a series of oneshots long ago. Thought I'd start posting them.


	2. An Interesting Thing

An Interesting Thing

* * *

Love, Sirius thought, was an interesting thing. It was particularly human—it was good and bad, black and white, human and oh-so-not. It was blind and all-seeing, and delicate and stronger than any steel.

Love was heartrendingly, terribly, beautiful.

Deep thoughts for Padfoot, certainly. Swinging his legs over the edge of the tree branch he perched on, he wondered about all that.

The Greeks, he knew, had different levels of love, agape and eros and some other fancy-sounding Greek names. His Classicist tutor had gone on and on about them during the summer of his fourth year, a tender look in his eyes as he explained each level. He'd only paid enough attention that should his mother or father quiz him, he could answer correctly, and thus avoid a hexing.

He relaxed, and swung around to lean on his branch, one leg resting on the other knee, reclining against the gentle curve of the old ash tree. Sunshine dappled his face and form, golden dots against the Gryffindor tie and white dress shirt. His long, curly black hair trailed over the edge and swung lightly in the breeze.

Sixth year was drawing to an end, and he did _not_ want to return to London. There was no love in that house, no tolerance for human emotion and feeling. Only conformity and ice.

There was a gentle tug on his hair, and he turned, spotting Remus standing below him, "Hey you, with the girly hair, want lunch?"

A smile, "Sure babe. Wanna accompany me?"

Remus blushed, "_'Babe?'_ I'm not Nicolette, Padfoot."

"Done with her."

"So? Still doesn't mean you should call me that."

He shrugged, and rolled off the branch, landing with perfect, fluid grace, on his feet. Remus swallowed hard, trying not to look at his friend, trying not to notice the way he moved, like a cat.

"I'll call you what I like, Mooney. You decide what you'll answer to."

Remus had to admit that Padfoot was far more intelligent than he ever let on. With a sigh, he lead Sirius up to the hall.

Sirius, for his part, walked slightly behind Remus, choosing to enjoy the view. Remus was slim and lithe, and Sirius considered him very easy on the eyes. Curly golden-brown hair framed a pale face with golden eyes. Both the color of a well done cookie, Padfoot smirked to himself.

On impulse, he reached forward and gently tugged Remus around to face him, before they had left 'their' copse of trees.

"What?"

"Just this," Sirius said with a shrug, pressing Remus against an ancient oak, and kissing him. The kiss was nothing like Remus would have guessed, had he dared to hope for one. He would have expected a bruising, forceful, brief kiss. Not the gentle, slow, long one that he got.

When they finally had to breathe, Sirius added another thought to his opinions on love. It did not matter what you who you loved was; all that mattered was that you did.

* * *

A/N: Repeat of some themes.


	3. Black Thirteen

Black Thirteen

* * *

He stared into the inky darkness of the room, the wind whispering through the trees outside. His bed companion stirred for a moment, sighing, rustling the crisp sheets, before slipping back into sleep. He drew a quavering breath, and shifted to lean, lightly, against the other in his bed. Gently he planted a kiss against a warm, pale, scarred shoulder and watched as the other moved again, a smile draping across the man's features.

They were not yet again lovers, though Remus suspected they would be, in time. For now, they simply needed the comfort proximity afforded them. Thirteen long years separated them from each other. Thirteen years of incredible pain and loneliness. Thirteen years' worth of guilt had come crashing down on his head. How could he have ever believed that Sirius would turn James and Lily over? He'd been with Sirius the very night before Halloween 1981, and saw no mark, nor had there been suspicious absences.

Resting his head against Sirius' shoulder, he sighed. Hindsight was always twenty-twenty. He knew that, intellectually. But _understanding_ it was completely different. His heart twisted when he thought of the years Sirius spent weathering the dementors, suffering everything they had to offer but the madness. Knowing the entire world had turned on him, thinking that he had betrayed his best friends.

Remus was also proud that his Padfoot, _his_ Sirius, had survived thirteen years of hell on Earth, and come out mostly intact. It was a bit twisted, but it was true. He traced a feather-light finger down the stuck-out ribs, the thin waist and jutting hips, grazing the cotton of the other's pyjamas. He'd need feeding up and some sun, but Sirius would be right as rain again someday. Back, or almost back, to his debonair self. The thought made Remus smile in the dark.

"Love you," he whispered softly, resting his head against Sirius' shoulder, lips brushing skin, "More than you know."


	4. Closeted

Closeted

* * *

"Dammit Prongs!" the door jumped from the pounding of Sirius' fists against the wood. James slid down the wall across the hall and smirked.

The pounding stopped, and muffled voices drifted to him. He smirked again. Damn, he was good, he thought, as he got up. Snickering, he walked down the deserted hallway, leaving footprints in the dust.

"I'm going to kill him!" Sirius hissed at the door. Remus sighed, and lit the tip of his wand with a softly spoken _Lumos_, giving him an ethereal glow. Sirius stared for a moment.

"Padfoot,—Padfoot! Sirius! Pay attention!"

He shook himself out of it, "What?"

"Knowing James, and no doubt Lily is in on this too," Remus grimaced slightly, knowing full well what they were trying to do, "We'll not be able to unlock the door with magic."

"I'm going to try anyway—you never know, maybe Lily finally made a mistake," Sirius shrugged, and turning back to the door, he tried everything he could think of.

Remus merely sighed and settled on a convenient barrel, letting the magic from the failed spells wash over him, ruffling his hair and robe. He sighed, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and lit one, leaning back against the wall behind him. "Are you quite done yet?" he asked, as Sirius leaned against the door in defeat.

"I suppose. Do you know why they lock us in here?" Sirius asked, though he knew perfectly well why.

"I have my suspicions." Remus nodded, taking a drag on his cigarette. He had every intention of hanging James and Lily by their toes when he got out of here.

Sirius sighed and settled down next to Remus on an old wooden box, full of some unknown, ancient cleaning agent, and rested his head against Remus' barrel. It was amazing, Remus thought, how graceful he was, in an ungainly sort of way. Long legs splayed out, hand resting on his knee.

"Gimme a drag?" he asked, and Remus passed down the cigarette, watching the blue smoke curl up as Sirius took a puff, "Thanks, Mooney," he said, handing it back up.

"Mhm," he nodded, resisting the urge to run his fingers through Sirius' long, curly black hair. He shifted, and there was an ominous creaked, and before Remus could jump up, the wood under him, cracked, splintered, and collapsed. He fell through the top of the barrel, and was trapped. The hole was large enough for his bum, but not, thankfully, big enough for him to fall in all the way. "Help!" he squeaked.

Sirius, had already jumped up, and stared at Remus for a moment, before cawing with laughter, "Got yourself in a right mess, Mooney. And you _squeaked!_"

"You bastard! Help me get out of this thing!" Remus squawked at him, anger mixing with panic.

Sirius rolled his eyes, took both of Remus' hands, and heaved, trying to pull him out of the barrel. It didn't work, and he sighed. Yanking out his wand, he stepped toward Remus, and after moving Mooney's robes out of the way, he began to cut away the wood. "Careful!" Remus yelped, after a close call, "I'm the last Lupin, you know!"

Sirius chuckled, but a slight sadness entered his eyes, and Remus felt compelled to brush the hair that was failing into his eyes away, but stayed his hand. Padfoot reached out and took his hand, and once again, heaved. Remus flew out of the barrel, and landed against Sirius' chest, his face tucked against the other's shoulder.

A muffled, shamed, "Sorry," was murmured, as Remus pulled away, "Didn't mean to."

Sirius smiled, "I know," reaching down, he finally gave into his impulse to kiss the other boy. After a moment of shock, Remus kissed him back furiously,kissing him so hard their teeth clicked. It slowed, mellowed to a sweet if less-than-chaste kiss.

The door clicked open, but neither noticed, too wrapped up in their own world.

* * *

A/N: Cliche, perhaps. But I like it. :) Also, you'll notice there's no particular order.


	5. Home, Bitter Home

Home, Bitter Home

* * *

The ancient oak door creaked open, a decade and more of rust crumbling off the hinges, hissing as particles cascaded over the floor. The air was dank, stale and uncomfortably humid in the rainy London August. The smell of decay reached Sirius' nose and it wrinkled.

"Home sweet home, eh, Remus?" he asked bitterly.

The other man sighed, leaning against Sirius' lanky form, his arm wrapped around Sirius' waist, "No, not really, love."

"I thought I was rid of this place at sixteen, and here I am again. Trapped within the confines of my past, once again. Because all Blacks are dark, of course," he said snidely.

Remus winced at the recriminations unspoken, his stomach twisting with guilt, "Please, Padfoot..."

Sirius sighed, "I know, love. I'm sorry. Neither one of us is really free to say things like that."

Remus smiled weakly, "And bitterness does not become you, Sirius."

A smile creased his face, "One of the few things that does not, yes."

"Of course," Remus nodded, a smile hovering hesitantly on his lips.

The door shut behind them as they stepped into the dark, muffling the sound of rain. In silence, they walked to the kitchen, hearing the scuttle of insects and doxies, listening intently for the sounds of Kreature. With a soft _lumos_, a wand was lit, casting the room in shadows.

"You know," Remus said softly, "The best revenge would be to fix this place up." _'And it might provide some closure...'_

Sirius smirked sardonically, "True. My mother dearest would have an apoplexy if she knew _I _was here again, never mind you or the Order."

Remus stopped and pulled Sirius to him, wrapping his lover in his arms, "Your parents didn't deserve you, Sirius. Never, ever deserved you," he said, sprinkling kisses on his companion's lips and face between words, wand still aloft over the other's shoulders.

"I love you, too, Moony," Sirius smiled softly.


	6. Ten Ways 'Till Sunday

Remus and Sirius, as they did every Friday, went down to the pub for drinks with James, Lily, and Peter at The Rabbit Hole, a pub not too far from Godric's Hollow. They laughed and talked while drinking stouts, or whiskey in Remus' case. James and Sirius were planning their next prank on the Auror office and Peter listened to Lily and Remus talking about the most recent novel they had read and arguing about charms amid the smoke and candle light.

"Think we ought to go home," Lily said after a couple hours, gently poking her husband's ribs. "Got to see Mad Eye in the morning, yeah?"

"Oh god," James groaned. "I do."

After a bit of stalling, Lily finally dragged poor James off into the night and Peter begged off, saying that his boss would kill him if he was late the next morning ("That what you get for working at Honeydukes! Got to work _weekends!_"). After bidding James, Lily, and Peter good bye, a slightly buzzed Remus got up to go use the loo.

A pleasant piss later, he ambled back into the smoke and laughter of the hall. Looking around for Sirius, he saw him swaggering over to a pretty dark-haired girl with a drink in hand. He felt his happy buzz disappear and his heart drop as Sirius sat down on the chair beside her and put an arm around the girl's shoulders.

Sirius' eyes met his for a moment across the pub and they stared at each other. Sirius looked worried, but Remus, throwing him a scorching glare, fled, trying not to feel the jagged shards of trust jangling around in his chest.

Remus, feeling both shattered and listless, dropped into a chair in their kitchen. He dropped his head into his upturned palms and rested his elbows on his knees. He rubbed his face and sniffed.

Moments later, the door slammed open, bouncing off the wall, and Sirius Black skidded to a stop in the kitchen, staring at Remus. "That wasn't what you think."

"Oh yeah?" sneered Remus, looking up, "Then what was it? Because it sure as hell looked like you were making a move on that _girl_."

"No, Remus, she's my cousin's _wife!_ Even if I wasn't with you, she'd be off limits." Sirius paused and shook his head, "I would never throw you over for _any_ girl, much less Fredrick's wife." He looked at Remus, "You do know that, right?"

Remus chose not to respond, shooting a glare at him instead.

Sirius rubbed his face, walked to Remus' chair, and knelt on the linoleum in front of his boyfriend, wrapping his hands lightly around Remus' biceps. "Never, ever, _ever_ would I trade you for anyone else."

Remus looked down into the steel gray eyes in front of him, assessing Sirius. He looked honestly afraid and very earnest.

"Never?" He felt silly and knew he sounded like an insecure _girl._

"Never. I love you ten ways 'till Sunday, you daft man!"

Feeling that Sirius was being honest, he smiled a little. "Show me."

A warm smile was Sirius' return.

* * *

The first day, Remus came home from the library where he worked to find a bottle of chocolate on the kitchen table. Not the kind for chocolate milk or body painting, but sinfully rich _melted_ chocolate meant for drinking. There were two hot mugs of it sitting next to Sirius.

Sirius being Sirius, had mixed brandy with his mug of chocolate and was soon grinning like a loon. "Love you, Mooney!" he crowed as they moved to the couch.

"Yes dear, I love you, too," Remus smiled as he sipped his own (liquor free) hot chocolate. With another smile, he put down his mug, convinced Sirius to part with his, and kissed away the other man's chocolate mustache.

--

On the second day, there was a small potted lemon geranium on the sunlit counter top by their kitchen sink. The pleasantly sharp citrus smell filled the kitchen and drifted out into their sitting room, tiny pale pink flowers leaning into the afternoon sunlight next to the mint and thyme plants.

There was also a copy of _Candide_ that Remus had been eying the last time they went antiquing in muggle London several months ago. It was the _very_ same one he had pined over for a few minutes—the self-same faded gold leafing on the title and the same black copperplate print on the inside cover that declared it had belonged to Issac Merryweather in 1897.

--

The third day, on the coffee table Remus found an original copy of the Superman comic book Sirius had ruined third year. They had been fighting at breakfast over something stupid (possibly which quidditch team was better but he wasn't sure) and Sirius (who had been reading the comic) threw it into the treacle tart in the heat of the moment.

Poor Superman had never quite recovered from his brush with goo, despite Sirius' endless apologies.

There was also a wonderful steak for the two of them. Sirius—as long as there weren't too many ingredients involved—was an excellent cook. Remus knew of no one else who could make a steak like Sirius could, not even his mum.

--

The fourth day, both men stayed home as it was bank holiday and therefore they didn't have to be anywhere. They didn't get too many of these days, so they cherished each one. Remus intended to spend most of the day cleaning and paying the bills before spending the evening as naked as possible with Sirius.

Around four in the afternoon, when trying to wade through their finances made Remus want to scream, he felt warm hands massage his shoulders. He put down the pen and hummed with pleasure as strong thumbs kneaded muscles, pulling the stress out of his back and shoulders. For a long moment, Sirius focused on the base of Remus' neck, knowing that was where all his stress collected before moving up his neck and then as far down his back as Sirius could reach. With a contented sigh, Remus leaned forward to allow better access, and then, as it became necessary, he tilted his head to the side to allow Sirius better access for kisses.

He stood up and wrapped his arms around Sirius' neck and kissed him thoroughly, gently encouraging him towards the couch.

--

The fifth day dawned warm and humid and Remus woke up on the couch, feeling sticky. Feeling rather revolted, he peeled himself off Sirius and their couch, making for the bathroom. After opening the window he took a cool shower, watching the walls glow with the the cold light of a false dawn, followed by the the tangerine and apricot of a summer's day sunrise.

Smiling, he sauntered out of their bathroom to the kitchen, intent on making some espresso for Sirius and a cup of tea for himself. Half way though pouring the appropriate amount of espresso grounds into the machine, Remus stilled.

Looking over to the sitting room he saw that Sirius was staring at him over the back of the couch, a sweet, faint smile on his lips. Remus raised an eyebrow and Sirius rolled his eyes.

They exchanged expressions for the rest of breakfast, grinning and laughing at each other, depending on the look.

Crossing his eyes and puffing his cheeks out like a chipmunk, Sirius shook his head vigorously and then laughed at himself.

"It's eerily appropriate, Mr. Padfoot, to see you imitating a monkey."

"Mm, well, can't be helped. I live with one."

"_You_, Sirius my love, are more of a monkey than anyone I've seen outside a cage."

Sirius grinned at him, "Remus and the monkey sitting in a tree!" he chanted.

"More like Remus and Sirius fucking in a tree," smirked Remus. Sirius flushed a little, remembering the time McGonagall had almost caught them in a courtyard tree sixth year (Remus still had no idea how they ended up in that poor oak tree).

He found himself being watched again and Sirius was still wearing that faint smile.

"What?"

"Just feeling lucky, is all. I love you."

Remus smiled, "Love you, too."

-

That evening, he came home to find four new albums, three of which were his preferred variation of jazz, but the fourth was a mystery.

"Tango, darling, it's a tango album," Sirius informed him from the doorway. He paused to lean languorously against the door jamb, twirling a brightly colored rose between his fingers like a wand. "I think you'll like it."

"Cliché, Sirius. The rose is so cliché," Remus couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll give you that," agreed Sirius amicably. "But it goes _so well_."

Remus laughed again and moved to wrap his arms around the other man, "Mmm, well, all right. Put it on?"

Sirius nodded, and with a flick of his wand, the music came on. "Have I shown you my ten ways of loving you yet?" he asked as they began to dance.

Arms wrapped around Sirius, Remus paused, a smile flitting across his lips, "Yes. I'll never doubt you again."

* * *

A/N: Come on girls and boys, say it with me!_ Essssss_presso! Not _ex_presso, _es_presso. You have no idea how much that annoys me.  
All right, this idea's been cooking away and I'm bloody _stuck_ on _Empire's Workshop_, so out it came.


	7. Soup

The door creaked open, letting the sounds the pattering summer storm into the soft silence of Remus's cottage. Sirius Black walked into the house, leaving wet foot prints behind him on the stone floor.

"Moony?" he called into the dark, humid recesses of the hall, "Remus? It's..." he hesitated, "...it's Sirius. Are you here?..."

Silence.

"Annnd you're not," he said softly to himself. He dithered for a moment in the foyer, uncertain if he should wait for his old friend, his old lover, or if he should head back out into the rain and return tomorrow. With a sad sigh, he headed back out the front door and stood for a moment on Remus's tiny porch, watching the rain slowly flatten the green meadow the cottage sat in. A gust of warm, moist wind washed over him and blew the door open and he sighed again, reaching over to close the door.

There was a crack and a sodden Remus appeared in his dooryard. He squinted up in the rain at Sirius and a little smile broke out on his face.

"Hello there," he called to Sirius as he jumped onto the porch. "How long are you here for?"

Sirius shifted foot to foot. "Albus wants me to, ah, stay here for a while and lay low. But if you, you know, don't want me to stay, I'm sure we can find something else..." he trailed off, carefully watching the other man.

Remus smiled at him, "Nonsense. Come inside and dry off, or take a bath, or whatever you need to do."

"A bath sounds nice," Sirius admitted and his stomach emitted an incriminating rumble.

Remus laughed at him, "All right, a bath and a meal, too. Any preference?"

Sirius smiled, "Not especially. Whatever you have, I'll take."

Another Remus smile, "All right then. The bath is down the hall, third door on the left." He paused, "Let me get a look at you?" he asked Sirius, and then reached out and tugged at the thin cotton shirt Sirius wore, revealing the too-thin figure beneath it. He tsked. "Must fatten you up, Pads. Skin and bone, skin and bone. I think I have something that might fit you. It'll be a bit long in the leg, though."

Sirius snorted, "Everything you have is a bit long in the leg. Thank you," he added with a genuine smile for Remus.

With a soft smile, Remus disappeared into the soft dark of his cottage hall and Sirius followed him after a moment.

Remus's voice floated into the foyer, "Ach! I see you've already been in here, leaving your doggy footprints on my floor!"

"Well, I was hoping you were in, and you know how you get wrapped up in your books," Sirius replied with a laugh as he slipped into the bathroom. Shutting the door, Sirius hummed a sing he had heard on the Muggle wireless one soggy day on the run. _"I'm gonna be, I'm gonna be the man who wakes up next to you..."_ He smiled in the candle light and turned on the shower.

*

Later, after washing years of dirt from his skin and dealing with the tangled atrocity that was his hair, Sirius cracked open the door, finding a small folded pile of clothing in front of the jamb. A faded linen shirt, soft, worn jeans, and _underpants_! Oh, how he had missed proper underwear!

Sirius pulled on the clothing and walked into the kitchen where Remus was humming along to the swing record on the Victrola and cooking some sort of soup. He dropped carrots into the pot and danced across the kitchen as he reached for the lid with long, slim fingers. Sirius leaned against the door jamb lazily and smiled at Remus, laughing softly.

Remus looked over at him and flushed, stopping mid-motion, "Er, hi. Wasn't expecting you out yet." He dropped the lid on the bubbling pot.

Sirius smiled and shook his head, "If the carrots are going in, can I assume you're almost done?"

Remus smiled back, "I see you still remember my soup making technique."

"I do," he agreed. "I remember how irritable you used to get when one of us would interfere with the Sacred Soup."

Remus sniffed, "If you recall, you liked my soups."

"I did. I expect I still like them."

"They're...thinner soups, now. Butter helps, some, but still..."

Sirius nodded, "I don't think I could handle a massively thick soup now anyway. Been living off rats, mostly."

Remus looked at him, sadness filling his eyes. "I would have made sure you got more than that, Sirius, had I known."

He waved a hand, "You didn't. I didn't tell you and I spent the last year in a cave—foolishly, if I may say so. Wasn't much I could have done for Harry there." A wave of bitterness crossed his face, "Not much I can do for him anywhere, actually."

"Not true, Padfoot, not true. Keep in touch with him, tell him stories, talk with him. That's plenty," he said, stirring the pot. Remus looked up at him, a sudden, sharp sadness in his eyes. "I missed you," he said quietly.

Sirius smiled faintly, "I missed you, too. I'm sorry I didn't keep in contact with you, after the Shack."

Remus nodded, "Don't worry about it. Sit down?" he asked, pointing at a shabby little chair at the kitchen table with a wooden spoon.

Sirius nodded and settled down with a soft groan. He wasn't twenty anymore and Merlin if he wasn't feeling every bit his age and then some. Remus gave him a soft look, "Tea?"

"I'll make it," he said, getting up again. "Keep everything like you used to?" He watched Remus for a moment, taking in the graceful movements.

The man nodded, vigorously stirring his soup. "Pretty much."

The two of them moved around the small kitchen area, bumping into each other once or twice before finding a rhythm.

Finally, they sat down for an early dinner, a hot, buttery soup with tea and crackers. They spoke for a while, of things they had done or seen since they had seen each other last (Remus tried not to wince when Sirius joked about knowing a dozen recipes for rat stew), and then about useless topics, studiously ignoring the elephant in the room.

Remus had never been one to let an elephant stay for tea, if he could help it, and this one seemed like it would like to stay for the night.

"Ah, Sirius?" he asked.

The dark haired man looked up at him, "Yes?"

He paused. How the hell does one say this...? "Erm, we never really talked about it, the last time we saw each other, and..."

"I've been wondering that, too," Sirius agreed, knowing exactly what he was wanting to say. He stirred his tea. "I don't think we can pick up where we left off."

"No, we can't," Remus agreed. "I don't think I'd want to, actually. It was rather...harsh, on the part of both sides."

Sirius grimaced. "I know...I still can't believe I thought it was you..."

Remus waved a hand dismissively, "Times like that bring out both the best and worst of people. You had fodder, I think, for what you believed and so did I. I lied to you for years about being a werewolf and you...well, there was the Prank." Sirius heard the capital P clank into place and winced. "All that is behind us," Remus went on, "I'd like to look at the here and now, if you don't mind...I think we should take it slower than we did the first time."

Sirius chuckled, "We went as slow as a rampaging hippogriff last time, Moony. Shall we go at a reasonably adult pace?"

"Instead of two horny teenage boys?" Remus laughed, "I think so."


End file.
